Memphis City Council approves Jack Sammons as new CAO

The Memphis City Council has approved the nomination of Jack Sammons as the Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery's 's chief administrative officer.

After a moderately tense discussion about Lowery's cabinet picks, the council approved Sammons in a 10-2 vote.

Only councilmen Joe Brown and Edmund Ford Jr. voted against his approval.

Council members peppered Sammons, a longtime former councilman, with questions about whether he would run in the special election for Memphis mayor (no) and whether he lived in the city of Memphis (yes).

Sammons' approval followed tough questions about the residency of Lowery's other picks -- former TV anchor Donna Davis and former U.S. Atty. Veronica Coleman-Davis -- both who live outside of the Memphis city limits.

Councilman Shea Flinn said according to the charter, city employees have six months to move into the city, a rule he dubbed the "Barbara Swearengen Ware" corollary because she has often invoked it.

Ware did not seem pleased with Flinn's comment.

"That does not apply to temporary employees," she snapped. "I know that Mayor Pro Tem Lowery knows that, he's been on the council far longer than I have. He knows the charter inside out."

Lowery asked the City Council to delay a vote to approve Coleman-Davis, who is Lowery's pick to replace Elbert Jefferson.

But Lowery said in light of the court hearing tomorrow -- Jefferson has sued Lowery, saying he overstepped his bounds by forcing him out of City Hall -- Lowery would like to delay the vote to approve his city attorney for two weeks.

Lowery says he fired Jefferson because of soaring fees paid to outside attorneys over the past few years. Between 2006 and 2009, city spending on outside legal, consulting and lobbying contracts jumped to nearly $8 million, an increase of more than 100 percent.

"I'm here to say I want to cooperate with the council," Lowery said. "I don't want anything that's going to be divisive. I don't want a media circus."

Lowery added: "I want us to work together."

Jefferson said he predicts Lowery will suspend him in an effort to quickly push him out of City Hall.

Jefferson spoke with members of the media shortly after Lowery asked the council to defer a vote replacing Jefferson as city attorney with former U.S. Atty. Veronica Coleman-Davis.

Jefferson said the deferral was part of a larger scheme to get him out of a job without City Council approval.

"When I'm suspended, it doesn't go before the City Council," Jefferson said. "I understand that the City Council has no control over suspensions."